George Natembeya, former Rift Valley RC and the current governor of Trans Nzoia, has come forth to discuss the complexities of the fight against banditry, which senior government officials restrained, he claims.
In the country's North Rift region, cattle rustlers and bandits have wreaked havoc, killing hundreds of people, displacing villages, and killing thousands of livestock during the past few years.
Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana, and Baringo counties are the most severely impacted.
The region's operations could have been better off a lack of support from senior security authorities and funding constraints, according to the former RC, who served for three years until resigning last year.
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Natembeya stated that he and the officers working under him were adamant about rooting out bandits, even with little assistance from the interior ministry, in a Monday night interview with one of the local Tv stations.
"I wished to speak against banditry as the last regional commissioner. I mobilized all security agencies and my security officers from Turkana to Baragoi. I even held a meeting with all the KVDA commanders in Eldoret because I was so fired up and full of vigour. I urged them, "Let us endure for two to three months, but let no one suffer as you have after us."
"We decided that other than aerial support, we wouldn't ask the government for any allowances. We ensured we had sufficient fuel for our vehicles and, most crucially, permission to move in. My generals declared that they would sacrifice themselves to save Kenyans.
He claimed that their lack of support from their superiors, including former Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, who did not answer or return calls when he tried to reach him, caused them to become upset.
After briefing the PS, the conversation concludes. The following time you call, they won't ignore you. What is the intended procedure?
"I communicated with His Excellency the President, Uhuru Kenyatta, more frequently than I spoke with the PS during the three years I served as Rift Valley RC. How do you succeed under those circumstances? he added
The former RC claimed that his officers were "demoralized" since they were operating without enough fuel and trucks and inadequate food supplies.
"Someone suddenly woke up and said officers stationed in operational zones shouldn't receive any compensation, not even for hardship. They receive the same pay as traffic police in Nairobi do, according to Natembeya.
The former RC claimed that being blamed for the fight on banditry while receiving insufficient backing worsened his predicament.
